A Gift, A Promise, and A Legacy
by WolfSparks14
Summary: Bella is about to marry the biggest mistake of her life. When a nomad with a special power shows up Bella's decides to do some digging on her true mate. And what she finds is not at all what she expected. It's better. It's Jasper. Come with me and follow Bella on her journey through time, and find out what would have happened if Bella was meant to be with Jasper.


**AN: I'm so excited to say this is my second fanfic and I really hope it goes as well as the first one if you haven't checked it out yet it's called I Won't Give Up. You'll find it on my page.**

_Chapter 1_

_I was lookin' for love in all the wrong places  
Lookin' for love in too many faces  
Searchin' their eyes, lookin' for traces  
Of what I'm dreamin' of  
Hopin' to find a friend and a lover  
I'll bless the day I discover,  
Another heart- lookin' for love_

Lookin' for Love - Johnny Lee

It was my wedding day. I was sitting in Alice's gigantic bathroom, sitting while she and Rosalie did my hair. I had been in the same chair for hours while Alice played make up. My back was aching and I hadn't slept well last night. This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, not the worst. Why doesn't it feel right? I feel trapped in this chair and confined underneath all this make up that Alice caked on. Although it hurt, I waited patiently for them to finish. Just as they were finishing, a knock came on the door. I stood and stretched.

"Bella has a visitor that can't stay for the wedding. Is she ready to entertain?" a deep southern voice said. It could only be recognized as Jasper, Alice's mate. I had just bent over to touch my toes. I stood up and looked back at him making sure my hair hadn't gone to hell. His eyes lingered on me. He had a strange look in his eyes. It was Jasper, he was always quiet.

"A vampire?" I asked. He nodded.

"An old friend of the family, you've met her before. Lieselotte." He said. I remembered the name. But not so much the face.

"I'm fine, she can come in." I told him. He opened the door a little wider. A beautiful woman walked in, she rivaled Rosalie but Rose was still prettier. She was taller than I was. She wasn't skin and bones like most girls I've ever met. She had some cushion and it was beautiful. She had bright blue hair. It was obviously dyed but she had blonde roots. _Their hair grows?_ Her eyes contradicted everything about her hair. They were bright red. I stood still, trying to keep her thirst from flaring up. Alice, Rose, and Jasper left the room. Uttering quick excuses about going to finish setting up.

"Lotte! I can't believe that I didn't remember your whole name!" I said, finally placing her face. Her hair was blonde when I met her. "You've changed your hair." I said stating the obvious. I was a little nervous around her. She made great company but she was a people eating vampire.

"Yes, I have Bella. You're still nervous around me." She stated. Her German accent was thick. I nodded slightly. She laughed. "You don't have to be afraid of me. I'm not thirsty. I just wanted to give you your wedding gift from me." She said.

"I should call Edward. He should be here to receive any wedding gifts." I said. She flashed over right in from of me. I gasped and sat on the toilet lid in a huff.

"No! This gift is just for you. But, first I have a few questions." She said. I just looked at her. She continued, "What are you hoping to gain from marrying Edward?" she asked.

I was stunned. I wasn't sure what she meant.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with the one I was meant to be with. I want to marry him and then he'll change me." I told her. It was what everyone knew.

"In a way you will." She said, "Are you happy?" she asked. What does she mean in a way?

"I'll be with Edward. I'll be with him for the rest of our immortal lives-" I started.

"But, Are. You. Happy?" she rushed up to me again and said those words in my face. I thought about the question. I loved Edward. I wanted to be with him forever… I think.

"I... Don't know. I want to say I am but, today… this…" I said gesturing to myself and all around me. "Just doesn't feel right. Something is wrong." I told her. "Why are you asking me these questions?" I asked her.

"Because you won't ask them yourself." She said. "I know they told you I had a special power and I do. It is my gift to you. I grant wishes. To those that I choose. I want to grant one wish for you." She said.

"Wait, like a genie?" I asked her. Her eyes turned fiery.

"No, not like a genie. I have no master; I choose to give these wishes away. I am not bound by anything." She said. "What can I make happen for you? Choose wisely, it could alter your fate." She said.

I wanted to know more about my mate. The man I was supposed to be with forever. I wanted to see what he was like. Maybe then I'll know what's missing on this special day.

"Is it possible to go back? To see my mate before he was changed." I asked. She smiled.

"Yes, but, it is tricky. You will remember everything and cannot give any of it away. You would not be simply observing. You would be living it. All you have to do is tell me in exact words what you want." She said.

"Okay, I want to go back in time, two weeks before my mate was changed. I want to learn all I can about him before he changes and is corrupted by knowledge." I told her. I don't think I left anything out. Surely Edward wouldn't be sick yet. I could learn from him.

"What you learn is up to you." She said putting her palms together, as if in prayer. "It is done." She said and snapped her fingers.

The next thing I remember is the heat. It's hot and my head is spinning. I love the heat on my skin but something isn't right. I opened my eyes to see a bright white light. I squeezed my eyes shut and sat up. I was in a large, particularly fluffy dress. It was nice but it was too hot to be wearing this, especially with a… petticoat? What the hell? What year is it? Why am I in this dusty dress? I feel like I need a shower. I went to go grab some of my hair and twist it. I always wanted to get rid of that nervous habit. But, it wasn't there; I touched my head, staring to freak out a little. Not that I wasn't already. It was there, but it was twisted into an intricate bun at the nap of my neck. Lotte had obviously sent me to the wrong time… and place. I finally gained the courage to look out the covered window of what reminded me of a small train car. I was on the side of a dirt road it there was some grass but not much. It was windy and dust was blowing all over the place. The sun wasn't very high in the sky and I couldn't tell if it was morning of afternoon. I looked at what I was in. A covered carriage. _This is becoming too weird. _

I tried the door. Something was blocking it. I stuck my head out the window again. A dead man with a knife in his chest was up against the door. _Great…_ what the hell happened? Someone had tied the handle to the back of the carriage, making it impossible to open. I looked around the inside of the carriage and tried to find a way to cut the rope. I found a half knit throw. Nothing to cut the string though. A hat box and nap sack with some bread in it. I opened the hat box and pulled out a large, beautiful, white hat. Nothing but some hat pins and a nail file. The nail file might help. I picked it up and played with the edges. I decided to try it. After 10 minutes of getting nowhere, I gave up. I looked down at the man.

"You got any ideas?" I asked him. "Great, now I'm talking to a dead person." I said and flopped back down on the bench seat in the carriage. I put my head in my hands. "What am I gonna do?" I moaned. Why would Lieselotte do this to me? All I wanted was to make my wedding day perfect. I sat there thinking for a few minutes.

_What happened here? Why was that man killed? Why am I in the middle of it? Where am I? How am I going to get out of this fucking box? I'm going to go crazy. That man didn't deserve to be killed, especially not for… me? I'm getting a headache trying to figure this out… the man! He has a knife in him. Maybe if I can reach him and pull the knife out I can get out of this hell hole. _I hated the thought of disturbing him but I couldn't stay her much longer.

I looked out the window. Okay, that's a little farther than I thought it was. I put my head and arm through the window then I squeezed my other arm out. I barely fit through even with my small frame. I held on to the window and reached for him. I could just touch his hat. I put my hands on either side of the window and pushed. I pulled myself out to my belly button and reached again. If I could just get a little bit closer, I could get a hold of the knife.

At that moment, I lost my balance and started to fall. I caught myself on the man, in something wet. I lifted my hand, which was now stained red with his blood and screamed. I lifted myself back up and took a few deep breaths. Tears were starting to fall. I hastily wiped my face and when I had calmed down, I pushed myself out of the window until I stopped. I was stuck… _fuck. _ I looked back at the window and what little of it that hadn't been filled by me had been filled by this damn dress. Hoping I was out far enough I reached down again and my fingertips brushed the hilt. I put one hand on the carriage and pushed. It helped just enough was able to wrap my fingers around the knife and pull.

I cut the rope then dropped the knife. My hands were shaking as I shimmied my way back into the carriage. I pushed door open and head a thump. Well there goes the man. I stepped out of the carriage and stretched. I looked around; there wasn't a building for at least a mile. _ Oh, God. _

Two dead horses as well. Who would do this? I looked inside my would be prison, took the nap sack and tore a piece of bread from within off. I nibbled on the stale bread for a moment trying to calm my nerves. I sat in the shade of the carriage for hours I was parched and I decided to pick a direction and start walking. I figured the things in the carriage were there for a reason so I picked the hat box up and set it on the ground then I walked to the back of the carriage and opened the trunk. It was full of clothes and shoes. I looked a little deeper and found other valuables. I couldn't take these, what if they are someone's belongings and I didn't want to spend two weeks in jail or get killed. I don't get why there are all these dresses. There had to have been a woman in this carriage before me. What would a man want with all this girly stuff? I opened a small pocket and found a journal. Maybe there will be a clue in here. I opened it to the first page and my first and middle name in beautiful script. _Isabella Marie._

I turned the page and there was a note addressed to me.

_Bella,_

_By now you're probably freaking out. Which is normal. I bought this journal in 1943 and I never had a use for it. This will be one of three things that will come back with you when your two weeks are up. A gift, a promise, and a legacy. All of these things will be material. This journal is the gift. Write in it. Record your feelings, the happenings and the people you meet. The promise is yours to choose. Choose wisely. Whatever promise you choose will be represented by one thing. Only you and your mate need to understand what this material thing means. Last but most certainly not least, the legacy. You don't need to worry about the legacy. It will come with time. You are in Houston, Texas, 1863. This carriage doesn't belong to you but, everything in it does. Don't worry about the man and the horses; they would have died today anyway and in the same way. Just to remind you, you can't give anything away. You have no back-story. The only thing you remember is your name, Isabella Marie. You remember nothing else. Some people will be coming by on their way home from town. They will show concern for you, ask you where you are headed. You don't remember anything, tell them you don't know. When they ask if you have a place to stay, tell them no. Go with them; take the trunk and what was in the carriage. They belong to you now. For the safety of yourself and your future, when you're done reading this tear this page out and keep it on your person until you can dispose of it safely. This is all I can help you with. Make the most of these next days, they shape will shape your future. _

_ Love,  
Lieselotte_

This journal didn't even exist yet. I tore the page out, folded it and tucked it in the breast of my dress. I put the journal in the trunk and lugged it off the carriage. I got the knitting out of the carriage and put it and the hat box in the trunk and latched it closed again. I squinted up and the sun it was getting closer to midday. I sat on my trunk and waited. When the sun became too hot I opened the lid of the trunk and lay underneath it. I was drawing pictures with my fingers on the lid when I heard someone approaching. I peeked around the trunk and saw a wagon approaching. I closed the lid of the trunk and latched it and pushed it up against the carriage. I picked up the knife and sat on it on the trunk. I looked up at the sky again. Maybe these are the people Lotte was talking about.

They approached slowly and with every passing second, I grew more nervous. I fingered the hilt underneath my dress. As the wagon got closer, I could see there were two people on it. The closer it got the more I could see of them. They were both women and they were alone. The older looking of the two had light red hair and was thin. Her hair was tied back and she had fair skin that look as if it had seen a thousand hours of the sunlight and only darkened slightly. The other was blonde, her hair was braided on the side and she was also fair skinned. When they got closer I heard them talking, about what I didn't know.

"Hello, over there!" I heard a thick southern accent. I looked over. I my breathing was becoming rapid. Why am I so alone?

"Hello!" I heard a higher voice with the same accent. I stayed silent as they approached and stopped. I looked at them scared out of my wits. I didn't know how to act or what to say or how to say it.

"Child, are you alright?" the red head asked. She got down from the wagon and came to sit next to me. I wrapped my hand around the knife. She had soft brown eyes. "You look practically scared to death, what happened here?" she asked.

"I don't know. I-I don't remember! I woke up locked in the c- carriage. I looked out and he was d-dead" I said. My speech wasn't working nearly as well as I wanted it to.

"Oh Child, what's your name?" her hand was pressed against her chest in surprise.

"Isabella Marie." I had to remember what Lotte told me.

"Okay Isabella, where are you from? Do you have a last name?"

"I…" I paused; Lotte didn't say anything in her letter about this. "I don't know. I don't remember anything." I let a tear roll down my cheek, I really was scared. It didn't hinder the character I was trying to play either.

"Am I correct in assumin' you don't have a place to stay?" she asked. I nodded; I wiped my face off and looked at my hands.

"Oh gosh. I forgot about that." I said furiously trying to wipe the blood off my hands but, it wouldn't come off.

"Goodness gracious, Isabella, what happened?" she gasped.

"I had to hang out the window to get this knife out of his chest." I said, pulling the knife out from under my dress. "I lost my balance and I caught myself in his blood." I told her.

"Elizabeth, bring your mama some of that water." She called to the other girl; she hopped down, and picked up a water skin. "My name is Mary Elizabeth Whitlock. This is my daughter, Elizabeth Whitlock."

_Whitlock… Is she a relative of Jasper, maybe? _

"Thank you, baby. Here. Hold your hands out." She told me. She had all the authority of a mother running a family. I did and she poured some water on my hands. I rubbed them and watched the blood disappear.

"Thank you, Mary." I told her. She held her hands up

"Please child, Mary was my mother. Call me Mary Elizabeth. Now why don't you stay with us until someone comes a lookin' for you. We have an extra bedroom and I don't mind. My husband won't fuss about it either. What d'ya think?" she asked. I looked at her and wiped my face again.

"I couldn't impose; I can find an inn somewhere.-"

"Nonsense. I won't hear of it. You'll come home with us, it's only about two miles that-a-way." She said pointing west of us. "Now come on, let's get your trunk loaded up and we'll be goin'." She said and stood up. I stayed where I was, shocked. "What's the matter? Ya got a hitch in your get-a-long?" she asked. I shook my head a stood up quickly.

"No! Um, no." I turned and picked up my trunk. I struggled some and Mary Elizabeth took one end and I helped her load it on the wagon. When we had finally gotten it loaded, we all climbed up into the wagon and set off. I sat in the bed off the wagon with my trunk and the little girl, Elizabeth, climbed back there with me. She handed me the water skin.

"I'm Elizabeth. I'm fifteen, and I have to brothers, you'll meet them tonight." She paused and waited for me to respond to her. I took a drink and wiped my mouth. _Water is forever amazing! I can't believe that it was that easy. Lotte must have had something to do with it. _

"Bella," I said giving her the water skin back. "I'm eighteen. That's all I remember. You said you had brothers?" I asked trying to steer the topic away from me.

"Jesse and Jasper. Jesse is my youngest, Elizabeth is the second and Jasper is the oldest. Jesse is twelve and jasper is seventeen. I had Jasper when I was seventeen and his daddy is ten years older than me. That took some convincin' for my daddy." Mary Elizabeth piped up from the front of the wagon.

I pulled my knees to my chest and smoothed my dress. I hugged them close and laid my head on my knees.

"Is that all you can remember? Your name and age?" Elizabeth asked me. I looked up at her and nodded.

"I don't know what happened before I woke up. The last thing I remember was waking up." I told them. Within minutes we arrived in front of a beautiful two story farm house. There was a big barn and a chicken coop behind the house. There were a few slave women working out in the back yard washing clothes. _I can't forget it's considered normal to have slaves down here right now._

"You have a beautiful home." I told her as I got down and pulled my trunk out of the wagon. It clunked to the ground I hoisted it up. It was very heavy and I only made it about a step away from the carriage. Mary Elizabeth and Elizabeth came to my aid. Between the three of us we made it inside with the trunk.

We set the trunk on the floor and she called for someone, Minnie, I think. A young black girl hurried in and curtsied. She didn't look much older than I did.

"Yessum?" she said, looking back and forth between myself and Mary Elizabeth.

"Minnie, this is Isabella, she'll be staying with us for a while. Say hello, now don't be shy." Mary Elizabeth said. Minnie turned and took a step toward me. I stood a little bit straighter.

"Hello Miss Isabella, M' name's Minnie. I assist my mother with the in house chores." She said quite confidently with a curtsy. I smiled and curtsied back and she gave me an odd look. She turned to Mary Elizabeth again.

"Minnie will be your personal bedroom caretaker. If you might need anything, don't hesitate to ask her." She turned to Minnie. "Minnie, be a dear and take Isabella's trunk up to the large guest bedroom."

"Yessum." She said and stepped into the next room briefly and came back with a young man. Who hefted the trunk up and followed Minnie upstairs.

"I think I'll go wash up before supper and after you've met the rest of the family we'll give you a tour of the house and land and talk more. Elizabeth will show you to your room. Minnie will warm a bath for you and dinner will be promptly at 7." She said then she dismissed herself. I felt a bit dizzy at how fast things were moving. Elizabeth took my hand and led me toward the stairs.

"Come on. I hope you like it here." That was all she said. She stopped at a door at the end of the hall. She let go of my hand then turned around and walked back down the hall to the first of four doors we passed, two on each side of the hall. There were two more doors on the other side of the staircase, with a large sitting area across from them.

I turned the knob and pushed the heavy door open. I found Minnie hanging the beautiful gowns from my trunk in an armoire. When she turned around to pick up another she saw me. She curtsied and continued putting away my new belongings. I saw the knitting on a small table next to a tiny sofa. The hat box had been set atop a dresser with a mirror hanging above it. I the corner next to the bed was a vanity table with three mirrors and a bench.

"Er… Minnie, when have a moment could you help me with my bath?" I wasn't exactly sure how I was supposed to ask for that or why I might need help with a bath but I asked anyway. She immediately put the dress down and walked into the bathroom and started pumping the water pouring all different perfumed oils and salts in. she walked out and stopped in front of me.

"Would Miss like help undressing?" she said avoiding my eyes. I blushed a little. I had no earthly idea how to get out of this corset everything else was self explanatory.

"If you could just help me get the corset off that will be all I need." I told her. She nodded and walked around behind me. She unlaced the dress and helped me step out of it. She threw it in a pile on the floor and started work on the corset. Once she had the corset loose she stepped back.

"If you'll put the filthy clothes in a pile I'll take them to wash. There is a dressing gown in the wardrobe. If there is nothing else, I'll be off to get your hot water for the bath." she said.

I turned around holding the corset up. I was cover beneath it but it seemed proper to do.

"That will do thank you, Minnie." Once the door had closed I let the corset down and tossed it on top of the dress I slipped out of my under things and put them with the other dirty laundry. I walked to the wardrobe and opened it. I pulled the dressing gown off the hook and put it on tied tight.

While I waited, I looked out one of the windows. It was the only one with a window seat. The other was behind the head of the bed. I opened the curtains and pushed the window open. The air in the room swept with a fresh feeling. It no longer felt stale or awkward in her. I pulled the gauzy white curtains closed and watched out through them. Three figures on horseback came into view. One was harnessed to a wagon full of what looked like tobacco and tools.

_This shouldn't surprise you; tobacco is a cash crop right now. _

I watched as they got closer. When they arrived at the barn they dismounted and handed their horses off to the man in front of the stables. The man who I assumed was Mary Elizabeth's husband, said something to him and gestured to the tobacco. I let my gaze sweep the two boys on his right. One looked familiar. But I couldn't tell from this angle his hat covered his face. He pushed the smaller one's hat down on his face and then nudged him hard in the shoulder playfully. The smaller boy charged at him and wrapped his arms around the taller boy's middle. They wrestled a bit and their hats came off. The younger boys light reddish hair was matted with sweat and the older had shoulder length blonde hair. Mr. Whitlock snapped at them. They picked up their hats and started toward the house. The wind picked up only for a second the white gauzy curtains blew back just enough for me to recognize him. Jasper Hale. Well Jasper Whitlock, at that same moment he looked up and saw me he made eye contact for less than one second before the knock at my door made me jump away from the window.

"Are you decent, Miss?" I heard Minnie ask.

"Yes. Come in." I called. Minnie opened the door and hurried to the bathroom and poured the hot water in the tub. She set the pot on the floor next to the tub.

"There is a curtain for the doorway if you like, ill set out your underclothes and finish hanging your gowns. Would you like me to set out a supper dress?" she asked me as she walked out of the bathroom.

"Yes, a rusty colored one if that's suitable." I said. I remember Jasper saying the liked that color. I turned and made my way to the bath. I pulled the curtain and hung the robe on a peg. I sank into the blissfully hot water and let it wash the traces of earlier that day away.

**AN: well that's the first chapter tell me what you think! Should I continue?**


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